Obama Heads to Israel

By Stephen Lendman - Posted on 17 March 2013

Obama Heads to Israel

by Stephen Lendman

As now scheduled, he'll arrive March 20. He'll remain until March 23. It's his first presidential visit. He made several trips before. He's only the fifth US president to go. Others included Nixon, Carter, Clinton, and GW Bush.

He waited until Israel's new government was formed. It took weeks to do so. On March 15, coalition partners agreed.

Netanyahu remains Prime Minister. Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett become troika partners. It's Israel's most extremist government ever. It reflects fascism writ large. Israelis have themselves to blame. They're stuck with what they should have rejected.

Obama and Netanyahu don't like each other. It doesn't matter. America's committed to Israel's security. Doing so jeopardizes its own. The special relationship's often one-sided.

It does more harm than good. It's wearing thin. It still persists. It's long past time to reconsider policy. Don't expect Obama to do it. He's largely in lockstep with Israeli policy.

Whether he'll wage war on Iran remains to be seen. Face-to-face meetings will discuss it.

Past and present high-level officials in both countries oppose war. They do so for good reason. It's madness. It threatens the entire region. It could spread globally. No sensible leader would dare risk it.

Netanyahu menaces the region. He exceeds the worst of Ariel Sharon. He's over-the-top and reckless. He considers diplomacy a four-letter word.

Israeli insiders detest him. They don't trust him. He's unfit to serve. He lies calling Iran's peaceful nuclear program an existential threat. More on that below.

JINSA wants all options used. Taking military action off the table undermines them, it says.

It wants peace talks resumed without preconditions. For decades they've been more hypocrisy than real. Israel doesn't negotiate. It demands.

Netanyahu's committed to unlimited settlement expansions. He opposes diaspora Palestinians' right of return. He claims Jerusalem as Israel's exclusive capital. His hardline government excludes fairness. Palestinians never had a legitimate partner. They don't now.

New poll numbers provide more evidence of public ignorance. Americans favor Israel over Palestine. They do so by a 64 - 12% margin.

It reflects media propaganda power. Big Lies repeated enough are believed. Americans are the most over-entertained/under-informed people anyway. It shows in their upside down world view. It's apparent on issues mattering most.

On March 16, Haaretz headlined "Obama, Netanyahu agree on Iran - but not on timing."

Peace is a dead letter. Palestinians have no reliable partner. They've had none for decades. A Palestinians for Dignity press release said:

Obama's visit seeks three goals.

"First, to relieve the pressure off the Israeli government, which is suffering increased international isolation (albeit with words more than actions)."

"Second, to restrain the frustration of the Palestinian street simmering in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and finally, to prolong the expected lifetime of the PA, which after 20 years is becoming more and more disconnected from its people."

Consensus on Iran and Syria will also be discussed.

Ahead of Obama's arrival, Israel's most extremist ever government will be sworn in. It's militantly hardline, neoliberal and racist.

It reflects policies Obama supports. Palestinians have few friends in Washington. They have none at the White House. They're isolated on their own. They've been that way for decades. Expect no positive change now.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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